Consider the following pairs:
| Historical place | Well-known for | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Burzahom | Rock-cut shrines |
| 2. | Chandraketugarh | Terracotta art |
| 3. | Ganeshwar | Copper artefacts |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 2 and 3
Burzahom in the Kashmir valley is a Neolithic settlement known for subterranean pit dwellings, not rock-cut shrines. Chandraketugarh near Kolkata is famous for its early historic terracotta plaques and figurines, and Ganeshwar in Rajasthan's Khetri copper belt yielded a rich hoard of copper objects.
- ✗ 1. Burzahom is a Neolithic site (Srinagar) where people lived in subterranean pit dwellings cut into the natural soil with stone celts; it has no rock-cut shrines.
- ✓ 2. Chandraketugarh, an early historic town site (from about the 3rd century BCE) in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, has yielded a rich repository of terracotta art, part of Bengal's long terracotta tradition.
- ✓ 3. The Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture of the Khetri area in Rajasthan is marked by an unusual wealth of copper objects and probably supplied copper to the Harappans.
Remember · Burzahom (Kashmir): Neolithic pit dwellings. Chandraketugarh (West Bengal): terracotta plaques. Ganeshwar (Khetri, Rajasthan): copper artefacts.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 6 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Tentative List: The Neolithic Settlement of Burzahom ↗ “The subterranean pit-dwelling of Neolithic men (Aceramic Neolithic/Period I) were cut into the natural soil usually dug out with long stone celts”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 1 “There is evidence in the Khetri area for what archaeologists call the Ganeshwar-Jodhpura culture, with its distinctive non-Harappan pottery and an unusual wealth of copper objects.”
- District North 24 Parganas (Government of West Bengal), Tourism ↗ “Chandraketugarh is located in the district of North 24 Parganas, only 38 km. north-east of Kolkata. The history of Chandraketugarh dates back to almost the 3rd Century B.C., during the pre-Mauryan era.”
- IGNOU eGyanKosh (Govt of India central university), Patterns of Early Medieval Urbanisation, Unit 23: Port Town: Chandraketugarh ↗ · reference work “A rich repository of terracotta art has been recovered from Chandraketugarh. It is not only the most varied and large but extremely well made and beautifully executed.”
- NCERT Class 11 · An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Chapter 6 “It appears that terracotta was the main medium of construction, and also for moulding plaques which depicted Buddhist and Hindu deities in Bengal until the seventh century.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·